EFTA and Mexico hold third round of negotiations on review of FTA

Delegations from the EFTA States and Mexico met from 16 to 20 January in Lugano, Switzerland, for a third round of negotiations on a comprehensive review of the EFTA-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The discussions covered all areas of the current FTA, as well as chapters that the Parties plan to add. The discussions allowed for further clarification and progress to be made. Work by the different expert groups will be pursued on the basis of agreed follow-up actions ahead of the next round of negotiations, expected to take place in June 2017.
Ms Karin Büchel, Minister and Head of Free Trade Agreements / EFTA Division at the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs, acted as the EFTA Spokesperson, while the Mexican delegation was headed by Mr César Guerra Guerrero, Minister Representative of the Ministry of Economy to the EU.
Merchandise trade between the EFTA States and Mexico reached USD 3.6 billion in 2015. EFTA’s top exports to Mexico included pharmaceutical products, machinery and mechanical appliances, clocks and watches, and organic chemicals. EFTA imports mainly consisted of precious metals, pharmaceutical products, and mineral fuels and oil.